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Saturday, February 14, 2015

Ernie Banks, the beloved Cubs great who once said he wanted to have his ashes scattered at Wrigley Field, is at the center of a battle over his remains, as his estranged wife has gone to court to prevent a longtime friend of “Mr. Cub” from having his remains cremated. . . . According to court records, Elizabeth Banks filed a petition to prevent a woman who describes herself in the documents as a longtime friend of Ernie Banks, his caretaker and the executor of his estate from having him cremated. The woman, Regina Rice, asserted her rights to dispose of Ernie Banks’ remains after his death last month at the age of 83, according to documents filed Feb. 2 by Elizabeth Banks’ attorneys. “Petitioner (Elizabeth Banks) is without recourse and shall suffer irreparable damage should Regina’s desires to cremate the remains of the decedent be granted,” she wrote.
. . .
The documents are included in what is a larger dispute over control of the Banks estate. Included in the file are documents in which Rice claims Ernie Banks was attempting to end his marriage to Elizabeth Banks, his fourth wife. The documents include a petition for divorce, signed by Ernie Banks, in which the Hall of Famer seeks to end his marriage because “irreconcilable differences have caused irretrievable breakdown of the marriage” and that Elizabeth Banks had “committed extreme and repeated acts of mental cruelty upon petitioner (Ernie Banks).”

A document titled “Last Will and Testament” and signed by Ernie Banks on Oct. 17 of last year says he was “in the process of finalizing divorce” from his wife and that he had appointed Rice as the executor of his will. Nowhere does Banks discuss what he wants done with his remains. The dispute appears to be far from over. The attorney for Elizabeth Banks at one point argues against the validity of the will, saying only that it was “allegedly signed” by Ernie Banks.

At least no one is contending Ernie wanted to be buried on a rooftop overlooking Wrigley Field.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Visiting hitters won’t have their home runs thrown back onto Wrigley Field until May 11, at least, as the Cubs announced the stadium’s famous bleachers won’t be open for the first month of the 2015 season.

The target date is May 11 for the left field bleachers and late May for the right field bleachers, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney said at the team’s convention Saturday. The bleacher reconstruction is part of the first phase of a $375 million renovation of the famous stadium, which celebrated its 100th birthday last season. Wrigley Field currently is a construction zone, and those who walk by can see the progress of the bleacher areas.